The NEW Disney's Contemporary Resort FAQ with PICTURES! (Feb 2008)

[oasispaul]

donalddolewhip,
that's probably the coolest pic i've seen of the contemporary on this entire site...

 

[spaceace510]

Hey everyone, just wanted to share a unique perspective on Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower. I took this picture today:

This was taken while parasailing, which was a truly awesome experience. Sorry the picture isn't amazing quality, but the sun was bright (and my hands were shaky!)

OMG DonaldDoleWhip!! That is an amazing shot!!! I just had to quote it so it would be on this page too! How on earth did you take that??

 

[Golfing Goofy]

That photo is soooo awesome, DonaldDoleWhip! And boy, you sure seem to be way up there - looks a little too high for a yellow-livered chicken like me....

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

That picture is amazing and I got to know how were you able to take it?

How on earth did you take that??

Going parasailing was something we decided on a whim on monday, so we immediately booked the next available flight (tuesday @ 1:30). I read online that you don't normally get wet when you go parasailing, so I brought my digital camera along (it has a wrist strap: otherwise, no way!). Once I was at the maximum height of around 600 feet, I began taking pictures. It was kind of difficult, because the ascent was so quick and thrilling that my hands were shaking, and I couldn't control the sunlight at the time, but this was probably my favorite shot of about 30.

I'm really happy that you all liked it. Like I said, it's not the most common view of CR/BLT, but it's definitely an interesting one. Without a doubt, I would recommend parasailing at least once. The views of MK, CR, BLT, Seven Seas Lagoon, and Bay Lake are enough to justify it! Speaking of which, I would think it's alright to post other views because this is a Contemporary marina activity.

MK:

Discovery Island (Spaceship Earth and Dolphin are in the distance)

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I should have realized you took that while parasailing because there is no other way to take that type of a picture from that high up.

 

[skifast22]

awesome photos! thanks for sharing

 

[Honeystar120608]

Very neat pictures!!
So I was curious to know...do they offer the club lvl service/concierge for a garden wing standard room?? I sort of think no, but thought I would ask.

 

[mmouse09]

Does anyone know if they carry soy milk anywhere at the CR? We will be staying at the contemporary in 3 weeks and have a 1 year old who only drinks soy. Is this available at the Contempo Cafe?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

So I was curious to know...do they offer the club lvl service/concierge for a garden wing standard room?? I sort of think no, but thought I would ask.

No they don't. If you want to stay Club Level you can make a reservation for a Magic Kingdom View or Bay Lake View on the Atrium Club Level which is the 12th floor in the Tower. There is also some standard rooms and various suites on the Tower Club Level which is located on the 14th floor of the Tower.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Does anyone know if they carry soy milk anywhere at the CR? We will be staying at the contemporary in 3 weeks and have a 1 year old who only drinks soy. Is this available at the Contempo Cafe?

I am trying to remember if it was available there and I honestly don't remember if I saw it or not. I would say try the Sundries store because chances are they might have it there, however on Janurary 5th it's closing for a major renovation and not re-opening until April 30th. I would assume it will be open in a temporary location while the renovation is happening, however I am not sure how many items they would be able to sell.

 

[hematite153]

No they don't. If you want to stay Club Level you can make a reservation for a Magic Kingdom View or Bay Lake View on the Atrium Club Level which is the 12th floor in the Tower. There is also some standard rooms and various suites on the Tower Club Level which is located on the 14th floor of the Tower.

I don't know for sure, but, I do know that I've seen soy milk in many locations at wdw. If you call in advance to ask for it, I suspect that they could arrange to have it for the duration of your stay if it's not a regularly stocked item.

 

[finallygoingtoWDW]

The pool renovation should be finished by then, since it's scheduled to be done in March.

Thanks, I hope so. I can't wait to see the new pool! Even if Space Mountain is closed, having a new pool will be a big bonus for us!


Wow, DDW, those are some great pictures! Although I have to say that new building looks a bit obtrusive. Anyone else think that? I've only ever seen pictures of that area, but it looks so "crowded" now.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Here are photos from my families stay from last month.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

 

[jcb]

CR4L, thanks for posting the photographs. I like the one of the monorail from the top floor. Very interesting perspective.

 

[BlueSkies]

CR Fan Thanks for the great pics! I always liked going to the sundries shop...it was the last shop to keep the feel of the old CR...a little nostalgia I guess...but I am looking foward to see how the refurbished pool area will turn out...

 

[Buckeye Lurker]

Hi all. Not that you asked, but I thought I'd share some things that I think are of value as follows:

1. Booking your vacation
2. The Disney Meal Plan
3. My observations/comparisons on CR vs. Others
4. My observations on the parks and pre-Christmas Visit


1.0 Booking the vacation
We discovered several things about getting the best price possible on booking your vacation.
1.1 Disney Visa Card. If you are going to be going to Disney, it makes tremendous sense to have the Disney Visa card via Chase. You get offers about a week before they are made public, you get disney reward dollars earned on your purchases etc. We had over $500 DRD built up in two years simply by charging our normal spending and office purchases on the Disney card and paying them off immediately. These DRD can be used on anything Disney, room and board, dinning, spending splurges, photopass etc. Plus your room and board is 6 months same as cash if charged.
1.2 Don't stop shopping your package price until 45 days prior to departure, when the penalty is charged. We changed our package on day 47 prior because a better offer was available. Our rebooking for the exact same items saved us $150 AND got us an upgraded room.
1.3 If you want to save time and hassle, use a disney vacation specialist. This is the second time we used ours, and you get the exact same pricing offered through Disney direct. They can price any special offers etc the exact same as Disney direct. Disney reservations does not give you discounts or special offers unless you know about them and ask for them, and they won't automatically give you the best available. Specialists are paid a booking fee and in most instances they are trying to beat a deal you already know about, so they search aggressively for the best deals.
1.4 You really need to understand the pricing of individual components of your plan. In our case, the offer with the free meal plan if we paid rack rate was better than the discounted room rate we originally booked, but only because we were going to buy the meal plan anyway.

2.0 Disney meal plan
I've always stressed over whether to buy the meal plan or not as far as dollars spent. This time I saved every meal receipt while on the meal plan and can make an exact analysis.
2.1 If you want to minimize your food budget, the meal plan IS NOT the way to do it. You will do much better having garden grocer deliver some bread/sandwhich meats, cereal etc.
2.2 Even if minimizing your food budget isn't a concern, you will do better without the meal plan. Dollar for dollar, meal for meal. I know they are introducing a counter-service meal plan for next year, maybe my opinion will change.
2.3 With the meal plan changes the tip is now excluded from the plan, and we found service to be lacking every place where we notified them we were using a meal plan. (At checkin at the sit-down restaurants.) In fact, in general, this has been the worst service we have received at Disney sit-down restaurants. I suspect meal planners haven't been leaving tips.
2.4 On counter-service redemptions, your children do not have to use the child's menu, they can get an adult combo meal.
2.5 Breakfast counter service includes two beverages, so you can get a bottle of water with your coffee etc and take the water for later.
2.6 To maximize the meal plan, book character meal buffets and special seatings, like the Dinner and Candlelight processional at Epcot or Dinner and Fantasmic at Hollywood studios. These are $35 and up packages that include guaranteed, no-wait seating to these shows, and is only one meal redemption. The character buffets are also pretty pricey, as are things like Germany in Epcot, but they only cost one redemption. For our fantasmic package, the ticket price for that one meal was the same as the price for the entire meal plan for that day, and was only one redemption. In other words, it gives you incentive to splurge on meals you might not otherwise book.

3.0 CR vs. Others
This was our fist time at the CR. PReviously I have stayed at All Stars Movies in 06 and Dixie Landings in 95. Prior to that off-property at Disney Tree Houses.
3.1 We were upgraded to a bay tower room from a booked water view garden wing room.
3.2 The bedding was wonderful, top notch. Bathrooms were nice. Room spacious. Having the computer and refrigerator in room meant I didn't have to lug a laptop and we could have garden grocer deliver 12 packs of whatever soda we drank right to our room for the cost of 2 refillable mugs.
3.3 The CR is the loudest of the properties I have stayed at. (Well, the peacocks at the Tree Houses were pretty loud.)
3.4 We prefer the food-court setups of the other on-property hotels. No ice cream shop in the CR cafe.
3.5 The CR being convenient to the monorail really changed the dynamic for us. We were encouraged to take mid-day breaks and we actually napped 4 days between 2-4. This was a huge quality of trip boost.
3.6 The shopping at CR is the best of any hotel we've visited including the Grand Floridian.
3.7 The housekeeping is average to slightly below average from what we have had at other Disney properties, and we left a tip envelope every day from day one.

4.0 Disney pre-christmas
This is our second week-before-christmas visit. We still think it is *the* time to visit disney. The decorations, mood and atmosphere is wonderful, and you don't have the simply beastily heat and humidity you get during other times.
4.1 I think the word is getting out, because the crowds this year were huge, headline attractions routinely had 80-120 minute standby times.
4.2 If you are going to fantasmic or Candlelight Processional (really wonderful, must see) consider one of the "dinner and a show" packages. people were waiting in line for 3 hours for Candlelight processional and did not get in. Having guaranteed, no wait seating is worth the price of these packages.
4.3 The airline industry is reallly slipping. Over 50% of our flying had to be rebooked from the airport. This was three different airlines, 4 different airports, so it seems to be systemic failure. I have a friend who is a senior co-pilot for a large airline flying south america and europe. his family gets free airfare everywhere, and he says if it is an 8 hour or less drive they drive. I really understand why now. We ended up buying 2 additional tickets to avoid spending the night in an airport on Christmas Eve simply because continental refused to re-book weather related delays on available flights on partner airlines.
4.4 We did not do the magical christmas party this year and honestly didn't miss it. We talked to folks who went and they said the ride lines were still long. The parade and holiday wishes fireworks show you get on non-party nights is the same as the one at the party. Seems like the christmas party tickets are expensive cups of cocoa. It also snows on non-christmas party nights, too.

Well, that is it. I could ramble more, but I think that is the information I'd share with a friend who was planning a trip. If budget allows, CR will be our hotel from now on, but if budget doesn't allow but WOULD allow All Stars or some other hotel, we wouldn't hesitate to go to one of the "downstream" hotels.

 

[hematite153]

I think that on the second shelf down on the left side there are two bottles that are mostly while with blue or red on them that look like the soy milk I usually see at WDW. Can anyone confirm this for the person who was looking?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

CR4L, thanks for posting the photographs. I like the one of the monorail from the top floor. Very interesting perspective.

I was looking down into Chef Mickey's and the Contempo Cafe that night after 1:00 AM and saw that the Express Monorail was parked there for the evening, which it did a lot of the other nights we were there.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Hi all. Not that you asked, but I thought I'd share some things that I think are of value as follows:

1. Booking your vacation
2. The Disney Meal Plan
3. My observations/comparisons on CR vs. Others
4. My observations on the parks and pre-Christmas Visit


1.0 Booking the vacation
We discovered several things about getting the best price possible on booking your vacation.
1.1 Disney Visa Card. If you are going to be going to Disney, it makes tremendous sense to have the Disney Visa card via Chase. You get offers about a week before they are made public, you get disney reward dollars earned on your purchases etc. We had over $500 DRD built up in two years simply by charging our normal spending and office purchases on the Disney card and paying them off immediately. These DRD can be used on anything Disney, room and board, dinning, spending splurges, photopass etc. Plus your room and board is 6 months same as cash if charged.
1.2 Don't stop shopping your package price until 45 days prior to departure, when the penalty is charged. We changed our package on day 47 prior because a better offer was available. Our rebooking for the exact same items saved us $150 AND got us an upgraded room.
1.3 If you want to save time and hassle, use a disney vacation specialist. This is the second time we used ours, and you get the exact same pricing offered through Disney direct. They can price any special offers etc the exact same as Disney direct. Disney reservations does not give you discounts or special offers unless you know about them and ask for them, and they won't automatically give you the best available. Specialists are paid a booking fee and in most instances they are trying to beat a deal you already know about, so they search aggressively for the best deals.
1.4 You really need to understand the pricing of individual components of your plan. In our case, the offer with the free meal plan if we paid rack rate was better than the discounted room rate we originally booked, but only because we were going to buy the meal plan anyway.

2.0 Disney meal plan
I've always stressed over whether to buy the meal plan or not as far as dollars spent. This time I saved every meal receipt while on the meal plan and can make an exact analysis.
2.1 If you want to minimize your food budget, the meal plan IS NOT the way to do it. You will do much better having garden grocer deliver some bread/sandwhich meats, cereal etc.
2.2 Even if minimizing your food budget isn't a concern, you will do better without the meal plan. Dollar for dollar, meal for meal. I know they are introducing a counter-service meal plan for next year, maybe my opinion will change.
2.3 With the meal plan changes the tip is now excluded from the plan, and we found service to be lacking every place where we notified them we were using a meal plan. (At checkin at the sit-down restaurants.) In fact, in general, this has been the worst service we have received at Disney sit-down restaurants. I suspect meal planners haven't been leaving tips.
2.4 On counter-service redemptions, your children do not have to use the child's menu, they can get an adult combo meal.
2.5 Breakfast counter service includes two beverages, so you can get a bottle of water with your coffee etc and take the water for later.
2.6 To maximize the meal plan, book character meal buffets and special seatings, like the Dinner and Candlelight processional at Epcot or Dinner and Fantasmic at Hollywood studios. These are $35 and up packages that include guaranteed, no-wait seating to these shows, and is only one meal redemption. The character buffets are also pretty pricey, as are things like Germany in Epcot, but they only cost one redemption. For our fantasmic package, the ticket price for that one meal was the same as the price for the entire meal plan for that day, and was only one redemption. In other words, it gives you incentive to splurge on meals you might not otherwise book.

3.0 CR vs. Others
This was our fist time at the CR. PReviously I have stayed at All Stars Movies in 06 and Dixie Landings in 95. Prior to that off-property at Disney Tree Houses.
3.1 We were upgraded to a bay tower room from a booked water view garden wing room.
3.2 The bedding was wonderful, top notch. Bathrooms were nice. Room spacious. Having the computer and refrigerator in room meant I didn't have to lug a laptop and we could have garden grocer deliver 12 packs of whatever soda we drank right to our room for the cost of 2 refillable mugs.
3.3 The CR is the loudest of the properties I have stayed at. (Well, the peacocks at the Tree Houses were pretty loud.)
3.4 We prefer the food-court setups of the other on-property hotels. No ice cream shop in the CR cafe.
3.5 The CR being convenient to the monorail really changed the dynamic for us. We were encouraged to take mid-day breaks and we actually napped 4 days between 2-4. This was a huge quality of trip boost.
3.6 The shopping at CR is the best of any hotel we've visited including the Grand Floridian.
3.7 The housekeeping is average to slightly below average from what we have had at other Disney properties, and we left a tip envelope every day from day one.

4.0 Disney pre-christmas
This is our second week-before-christmas visit. We still think it is *the* time to visit disney. The decorations, mood and atmosphere is wonderful, and you don't have the simply beastily heat and humidity you get during other times.
4.1 I think the word is getting out, because the crowds this year were huge, headline attractions routinely had 80-120 minute standby times.
4.2 If you are going to fantasmic or Candlelight Processional (really wonderful, must see) consider one of the "dinner and a show" packages. people were waiting in line for 3 hours for Candlelight processional and did not get in. Having guaranteed, no wait seating is worth the price of these packages.
4.3 The airline industry is reallly slipping. Over 50% of our flying had to be rebooked from the airport. This was three different airlines, 4 different airports, so it seems to be systemic failure. I have a friend who is a senior co-pilot for a large airline flying south america and europe. his family gets free airfare everywhere, and he says if it is an 8 hour or less drive they drive. I really understand why now. We ended up buying 2 additional tickets to avoid spending the night in an airport on Christmas Eve simply because continental refused to re-book weather related delays on available flights on partner airlines.
4.4 We did not do the magical christmas party this year and honestly didn't miss it. We talked to folks who went and they said the ride lines were still long. The parade and holiday wishes fireworks show you get on non-party nights is the same as the one at the party. Seems like the christmas party tickets are expensive cups of cocoa. It also snows on non-christmas party nights, too.

Well, that is it. I could ramble more, but I think that is the information I'd share with a friend who was planning a trip. If budget allows, CR will be our hotel from now on, but if budget doesn't allow but WOULD allow All Stars or some other hotel, we wouldn't hesitate to go to one of the "downstream" hotels.

Thank you for posting that honest and detailed review.